Elders of the Universe (Earth-616)
| Status = Active | Identity = Secret | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Mobile | TeamLeaders = | CurrentMembers = Architect, Astronomer, Caregiver, Champion, Collector, Contemplator, Explorer, Father Time, Gardener, Gara (possibly), Grandmaster, In-Betweener, Judicator, Lady Carina Korvac, Obliterator, Possessor, Promoter, Runner, Stranger, Trader, Voyager, thousand others | FormerMembers = Challenger, Ego the Living Planet, Matani | Allies = Manifestations | Enemies = Galactus, Thanos, Awareness, Silver Surfer, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy | Origin = The lone surviving members of their races. | PlaceOfFormation = | PlaceOfDefunction = | Creators = Stan Lee; Don Heck | First = Avengers #28 | Last = | HistoryText = Origins The Elders of the Universe's origins are lost in the early history of the universe. They are some of the oldest living beings in the universe. Each of the Elders is the last survivor of their respective species, most of which evolved right after the "Big Bang", the cataclysmic event in which the universe was created. Their respective species were the earliest creations of the Celestials. The Elders are virtually immortal and not only have they outlived their respective races, they have also all outlived their original galaxies. While they are not Abstract Entities, they have all attained some level of cosmic power. As the relatively few survivors of the earliest period of the universe, the Elders regard themselves figuratively as brothers. They do not often associate with each other aside from the Grandmaster's schemes. Killing Galactus The Collector then joined the other Elders in the Grandmaster's scheme to kill Galactus. Thus, the existing universe would collapse. The Elders would survive the big crunch and the subsequent big bang of a new universe, becoming Galactus-like beings in the new universe. The scheme failed, but the Collector had become one of the threats to the universe he had once predicted and against whom he had schemed. Thanos Quest Following the Grandmaster's schemes, the Elders took possession of the Infinity Gems. The Soul Gem went to the In-Betweener, the Power Gem went to Champion, the Time Gem went to the Gardener, the Reality Gem was taken by the Collector, the Space Gem went to the Runner and the Mind Gem went to the Grandmaster. They held them for a time until The mad Titan Thanos gathered these gems into the Infinity Gauntlet. The Cosmic Cube Accessing the power of a stolen Cosmic Cube, Thanos summoned a gathering of the astral versions of some cosmic heavyweights, including the Stranger, the In-Betweener and members of the Elders of the Universe. While Thanos briefly taunted them with the powerful item, the Collector coveted it, seeking to broker a trade. Tiring of the general exchange, Thanos turned the Cube on the other entities, seemingly wiping them from existence. They had actually been teleported to the Cancerverse, as the artificial Cosmic Cube wasn't powerful enough to kill them. The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy joined them soon after the Mad Titan tried to kill them as well. The Elders made a deal with the heroes, using a weapon from the Collector's vault, the Avengers weakened Thanos after returning to Earth. The united forces of Earth's heroes proceeded to defeat Thanos, and as part of the deal, the Elders got to decide what to do with him. Deadpool Corps The Deadpool Corps was founded by Deadpool after he was chosen by the Contemplator in stopping a cosmic entity known as the Awareness that devours the multiverse's consciousness. In truth, the Deadpool Corps's real power to stop the entity is their unique mind that ultimately made them absolutely immune to the entity. The Deadpool Corps came into conflict with the Champion, who and along with the Grandmaster did not see them as worthy heroes and decided to test them. Fortunately, the Corps proved their worth by tricking the Champion into becoming two-times stranded on a planet. With help from the Broken Blade, the Corps annihilated the entity who turns out to be a little alien that was the lone survivor of his species after the Big Bang. The New Contest of Champions Following the temporary death of the Multiverse, the Elders of the Universe discovered the reality where the Multiversal renewal began, a broken dimension where the remains of a planet named Battleworld floated as the broken shell of what once was everything that remained of the Multiverse, formerly controlled by Doctor Doom. Due to being the epicentre of a new creation, this dimension became rich in a powerful substance known as Iso-8. The Elders of the Universe resolved to fight for its concentrated and most powerful form, the Iso-Sphere, and decided to use the remains of Battleworld as an arena for the new Contest of Champions. Each Elder abducted a contestant from across the Multiverse to fight to death on their behalf. When the Contest of Champions drew to a close, only the Collector's and the Grandmaster's competitors remained, Maestro of Earth-69414 and the Punisher of Earth-928, respectively, and the other Elders had returned back to Earth-616 with their hands empty. Maestro and Punisher conspired against their masters, and among their plans, they suggested a new Contest of Champions, where they would become summoners for their superiors, and choose their own champions to fight on their and their master's behalf. In the end, Maestro managed to acquire the entirety of the Iso-Sphere and banish the last two remaining Elders back to their reality. Powers and Abilities * Power Primordial: The Power Primordial is residual energy left over from the Big Bang that created the current universe. The circumstances in which the various Elders each gained some of this energy are yet to be revealed. While the energy itself is vast, it takes years of intensive training to purposely channel the energy to grant each of the Elders the various superhuman physical, mental, or energy manipulative capabilities that they possess. Each Elder has purposely channeled the Power Primordial to grant them greater abilities in some areas than in others. This renders the Power Primordial similar to the cosmic energy housed in the bodies of the Eternals. | Equipment = * Infinity Gems:'The Infinity Gems were kept by the In-Betweener and by members of the Elders of the Universe. The mad Titan Thanos gathered these gems into the Infinity Gauntlet: *Red Infinity Gem - Power Gem - taken from the Champion *Orange Infinity Gem - Time Gem - taken from the Gardener *Yellow Infinity Gem - Reality Gem - taken from the Collector *Purple Infinity Gem - Space Gem - taken from the Runner *Blue Infinity Gem - Mind Gem - taken from the Grandmaster | Transportation = 'Collector's Ship, Champion's Rocket Cycle | Weapons = | Notes = * The Obliterator was a mutant of his species, whose biological systems were focused on his body's preservation. It is unknown if other Elders have demonstrated similar's powers. | Trivia = | Links = }} Category:Cosmic Beings Category:Interplanetary Organizations